Never Let Go
by Sincerely V
Summary: This is a story about how Paige could get back in Emily's good graces. It includes Team Mona, Ali, and humor. 2 Parterish
1. Chapter 1

A/N This is probably just going to be a one or two shot just because I had this idea. I think that the only way Paige will redeem herself is if she saves Ali in some way. This is a short drabble on one way they can take it. Emily and Paige are still in their broken up stage

"Does everyone understand what they are supposed to be doing?" Mona looked around at the team she had assembled. Everyone nodded in agreeance but she didn't seem totally convinced. She walked to the chalk board where she had scribbled out the plan for that evening.

"You two are going to make sure that bucket is in place before everyone gets there." She pointed to two girls in the front row.

"Lucas programmed the shelf to collapse exactly at 5:30. That means that everything has to be perfectly timed. And Paige…" She walked directly to where I was standing, getting in my face.

"You have the most important job here, don't mess it up."

"Mona as much as this is very Carriesque, I don't see how this is going to get back at Ali for years of torture. It seems like this is more of a prank." So far, this was the only thing Team Mona had planned. If I wanted to stop them, I needed to know their end game.

"This is only the beginning. We are going to bury her…" She paused and gave a wicked grin, "again." My skin began to crawl but I smiled back to keep up appearances. They all knew what they were supposed to do and dispersed.

Mona made her way out of the hallway but popped her head back in momentarily. "Paige can you take care of the board?" I nodded. This was perfect because I could now make my own plans. The whole reason I joined Team Mona was because it was better to be on the inside of her game. It also helps to know if she is planning anything dangerous. I am definitely not a fan of Ali but there is a limit to what I can morally let happen. Now, if you would have told me this plan two years ago, I would have been the first volunteer. But I've grown up and I'd like to believe Ali has too. She seems different and if she is really that important to Emily than I at least need to try.

I started to erase the board, mentally going through the mission. Honestly, it's straight out of a Stephen King novel. They are doing a welcome back ceremony for Ali to get her integrated with students. Attendance is practically mandatory which means this will be a public forum in which Ali is the center of attention. I got picked, as a member of student council, to introduce her and represent our school in welcoming her. Yes, the universe has a wicked since of humor. Some of the other people in our new extracurricular club are also in charge of other aspects of the event. Mostly, they are supposed to set up the chairs and the stage. They have positioned the podium and chairs perfectly to complete the plan. Directly over the podium they are going to put a bucket of corn starch mixed with red dye on this collapsible platform. It works like a hinge and Lucas put this little device on it that will move the hinge and release the bucket perfectly. The goal is public humiliation. My "supposed" job is to time my introduction. I need to make sure that she is standing at the podium when the timer goes off. My actual job is going to be trying to break the timer so it doesn't work or put another bolt in the platform. At this point, I wish I would have taken woodshop.

I finished erasing the board and grabbed my things. I had an hour before tweedle dee and tweedle dumb put the bucket in position and two hours before show time. I figure Mona will check everything thirty minutes before so I have that window to foil the plan. I also have to make it look like I didn't do anything. Piece of cake.

I walked out the door and slammed directly into a tall body. Both our books fell on the ground and I reached out to get them. The owner bent down to help as I was getting up and we slammed heads.

"Ow." I recognized that grunt.

"McCullers we're not on the field hockey pitch you could serve to be a little more graceful." Injured and snarky, what a wonderful combination.

"I wasn't the one blindly walking through the hallway." I shot back.

"And I wasn't the one who sold out my girlfriend's best friend." I could see she already regretted that statement but it didn't matter. I shoved her books, and any loose papers, into her chest and walked away.

"Paige…" I didn't give her a second to finish before I turned the corner. Am I the only sane person in this town? The cops could help Ali. The more she ran the more everyone one of her friends was in danger. I did her a service and I'm the one they call disloyal. My blood was on the brink of boiling. I needed to refocus myself before I lost it. I headed past the natatorium into the woodshop and grabbed a nail and a hammer. If I could jam the hinge then it wouldn't release. I put my supplies in my bag and looked at my watch. I still had a good bit of time before I could do anything so I decided to sit in the natatorium. Nobody was in the pool because of the assembly which made it even better. I sat down on the bleachers and laid back, closing my eyes for a nap. Minutes later, the door hinged open. I didn't open my eyes but I could hear feet approaching me.

"We need to talk." I peeked one eye lid open and was met by a seemingly angry Emily. Her arms were crossed and she was sitting back on her heels which meant she was ready to pounce. I sighed and leaned up, giving her my full attention.

"What can I help you with today?" It was difficult to harden my face to her. I still felt so much whenever I see her but that seems to just drive her farther away. I've decided to take the opposite, indifferent approach.

"What are you going to say at the assembly today?" Nope. I wasn't going to sit through this when I could be asleep for another thirty minutes. If she wanted to say that she had a box of my stuff she wanted to give back I would have been fine. If she said she wanted her promise ring back, I would have been fine. But not Ali. No me gusta Ali.

"Really Em? Is that what you think of me? I'm not going to bad mouth your girlfriend to the whole freaking school. One of the teachers typed me up a nice little spiel about how much her presence is going to improve our lives. I will read it word for word." I grabbed my stuff to move to another location, but she wasn't finished with me.

"You don't have to be mean about this. Ali is a different person. She has gone through a lot and deserves a little sympathy. Honestly, you could be a little bit less of an ass." I bit my lip trying to prevent the word vomit from coming out but my mouth always wins.

"Don't tell me what she deserves .Everything Ali has been through she has brought on herself. In her lies and her hatred she has created an army of people who would do anything to get even with her. But you stand here defending her like she died for your sins." I went to leave again but she grabbed my arm and forcefully turned me around.

"You hold on to everything. Nobody can make a mistake in your world. That's why we didn't work, you can't let go."

"Let go? That's my answer to all of this." I took of my jacket and rolled up my right sleeve. The scars had long since healed but the white outlines were still very present. She had seen them before but she thought I got into an accident. This was a part of my past that I have learned to accept but I still have that reminder, every day, of what I have almost done.

"This is what I associate with Allison. Every one of these marks is a different time that she threatened to send that letter to my dad, or publish it in the school paper, or tell all the people in school that my rashes were herpes. That's what she did to me. Every time I wanted to make he go away, I would add another notch to the totem poll. You want me to let it go but there are some things etched so deep that they won't disappear." She was stunned into silence. I put my jacket back on and picked up my bag.

"Do you know what the worst thing is? I would have given anything to have you defend me like you just defended her…to stand up for me to your friends. But we all have to make a choice and Ali is yours. Face it Em, I was always your second choice. With Allison, with Maya, with Samara, even with Nate, I was always the afterthought. But it's okay…" Her head dipped down to the floor. I put my finger under her chin and lifted it up for one last moment. "…I'm letting go."

I walked out. As soon as the door closed behind me, I put my back to it to catch my breath. I looked at my watch and saw that there wasn't much time. Even after all of that, I am still willing to help her. If Emily is the happiest right now then I will do everything in my power to keep that. I made my way to the auditorium and snuck in the back door. The room was dimly lit but I could see the set up for the evening. It was exactly as Mona had drawn out. I hopped on the stage and made my way to the podium. The bucket was already in place. I looked around to see how I was going to get it down but a noise caught my attention. I scanned the room but didn't see anything.

"What are you doing here so early?" Mona's voice made me crawl out of my skin.

"I was putting my notes up here so I don't have to bring them later." Believable. She gave me a once over but didn't seem suspicious. She went over to the side of the stage where the ropes were attached and made sure everything was sturdy.

"The best plans are truly the simplest." She made her way back over to me. "You get into someone's head, you control them. It's that simple." She looked back up at the bucket and ran her hand through the air to make sure it would hit the target. She seemed satisfied and began to walk away. All I needed was 15 minutes and I could fix this.

"Paige, why don't you come with me? If we walk in together they won't be able to connect us to anything." I knew I was visibly panicked.

"I think I'm going to stay here and get a feel for everything." She reached out her hand to me. "I insist." I followed her out mentally cursing myself. I looked back to the bucket and knew this could only end badly. We waited outside one of the classrooms for a while until people started filing in. We followed right behind them until the whole auditorium was full. Everyone was making small talk. Mrs. Balk called me over to go up on stage. Everything was just as it was before but it felt different. I took my seat in between the teacher and the empty chair. Looking out into the crowd, I saw the guest of honor make her way through the door with her old crew. I turned my face away, to avoid eye contact with Emily. I just kept repeating in my head that this was all for her. Allison made her way up stage and sat next to me. This is the closest we've been in years.

"Hey."

"Hey." I gave a wave back.

"How have you been?" Well that was a loaded question.

"Good. You?"

"Good." For two people who have had more happen to them in the past two years than the entire rest of the room, those were weak answers.

Mrs. Balk started the event with an introduction of what the school stands for. I noticed Allison playing with her fingers nervously. For a person who haunted years of my life, it was nice to see her nervous. She really has probably changed. Damn it. I was going to thoroughly regret everything I was about to do. The teacher began the introduction to me and I knew I only had a limited time. My watch read 5:20 and the package was to be delivered at 5:30. I leaned my head down trying to cover my hair with my face.

"Ali I need you to trust me." She was slightly caught off guard.

"Just don't move." The applause from the audience signaled that the introduction was done and it was my turn.

I took my time getting to the podium and pulled out the paper.

"Good evening, teachers and students. Thank you for attending this assembly. As a tight knit community, Rosewood High is able to accommodate every type of student. For that reason, when a student is lost, their absence is felt throughout the whole group. It is a very rare occasion that we get to welcome people back but today Allison DiLeiurentis is back in our midst. Her spirit is something that many of us have felt and as a student body we welcome her back. The space where she once resided is still open and even though there are new faces, we all are happy for her return." I was supposed to say thank you and be done but the clock only read 5:36. I tried to hold it out longer but there was an obvious awkwardness.

"I think there is a lot to learn from Alison. It takes a very strong person to be a survivor. For some people, the battle is on the inside. We are at war with what we think of ourselves and what others think of us. Sometimes, that war gets so strong we don't think we can win. Alison waged a very physical war. She fought for her life and she is here today because of that. So, think about that when you feel like giving up." 5:29. I looked down in the front rows and found Emily. Her eyes were already on me. "Even if you are holding on by a thread, think of Alison and maybe that will give you the strength to never let go." I heard the latch click which was quickly followed by a rain of red liquid on my head. The initial impact spread it throughout my top but it was the moments after that soaked me. There was a gasp throughout the crowd but besides me, not many people were hit. I wiped it out of my eyes and assessed the damage. Teachers were shouting at people to be quiet but nobody really had control over the situation. I did the only think I could think of and began laughing. I continued and some people picked it up as well. The whole auditorium erupted in laughter. I adjusted the microphone with my sticky hands and tapped the front to get everyone's attention.

"So this is not the most comfortable feeling in the world." Everyone laughed again.

"I guess when my swimmers say that I push them till they bleed they weren't kidding. I guess I had this coming." It was a nice save.

"Well, I think I am going to get cleaned up but I would still like to have Ali up here to say a few words of what it feels like to be back." I looked back at her and she seemed frozen to her spot. I gave her a nod to indicate she could move and she went to the soiled microphone. I decided to stand in the back instead of going to get cleaned up.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Alrighty then. Chapter two should be it but I might make it long enough for three chapters. If you are interested in any other short stories like this give me an idea and I got you . Also, some of the references in the dialogue might not have happened explicitly in the show but could have happened.

Ali only talked for fifteen minutes but no one was really paying attention. All are eyes were still on me as I dripped on the stage floor. I don't do sticky which meant this was a special kind of hell. As soon as she was finished, the teacher went to say some final words but I excused myself. I gave a little wave behind her back and walked off the back stage. My shoes were tracking everything so I slipped them off and left them in the hallway. Around the corner, I could hear the doors opening and everyone exiting. They would all go out the front entrance so luckily no one would run into me. I knew exactly where I was going, the natatorium. I had an extra pair of clothes in my locker and they had a shower. No matter who I was going to have to answer to for that stunt, I needed to get this stuff off me first. Now I'll just have to see who's going to be more pissed Mona or the principal.

I walked down the hallway as quickly as possible because I was still dripping. I thought I heard something behind me but it might have just been the squishing of my clothes. I finally got to the natatorium and slid into the locker room. Before I could get the first layer of clothing off, the door behind me opened.

"What the hell was that?" Mona was definitely going to be the madder of the two.

"I couldn't see the clock in the back and I forgot my watch is slow. I thought I still had time." Convincing enough. She eyed me suspiciously.

"Pull another stunt like that McCullers and a little corn syrup will be the least of your problems."

"Is that a threat?" I crossed my arms and stood tall.

"I don't do threats. I make guarantees." She walked out slamming the door behind her. Great, another person to add to the long list of people who hate me. I peeled my shirt off and was thankful that it protected some of my skin from getting stained red. My bra was ruined, though. I started unzipping my pants when another door opened. This one was more towards the back of the room so they couldn't see me, yet. I was bent over so I couldn't see their faces, but the five pairs of stylish shoes that were across the room gave me a pretty big hint of what I would be facing next.

"Where is she?" Spencer was turning her head around. Unlike Emily and I, she wasnt familiar with the layout of this room. They went in the wrong direction and stationed themselves in front of the shower room. Hanna went in but shook her head to say I wasn't in there.

"Spencer we can talk to her tomorrow." Hanna was adamant.

"No, I want to get to the bottom of this now. I am tired of this bullshit. She needs to get over the fact that Emily broke up with her. Making Ali's life hell isn't going to change that." This made me want to jump out from where I was and punch her in the face. I was standing in a bra and jeans, sticky, because of that girl. Before I could make a move, another voice came to my defense.

"Spencer is it really that hard to talk to some without accusing them. Stop assuming you know everything without a single piece of evidence." Spencer and I were both too dumbfounded to speak. I looked at Emily with a new found appreciation. She not only stood up with me but she took Spencer down a peg.

"For your information, I have proof." She pulled out a slip of paper from her purse and held it up to Emily. I faintly recognized the writing on the page as my own. Emily unfolded it and I could see the writing on the top of the paper. It was my notes from the meeting with Team Mona. I must have dropped it when Spencer and I collided earlier. This didn't change the fact that I joined Mona to stop her but it made me look guilty as hell. Emily's face slowly turned into disappointment as she read it. I knew she knew my hand writing because it's not the first time that has gotten me in trouble.

"I don't care what this says." Everyone looked shocked.

"Emily it is there, right on the page. Mona has some new super team for making our lives hell again, and she is a part of it. How can you not care?"

"There has to be a reason. Paige never does anything without a reason." She stood there with her arms crossed.

"Emily she almost killed you when she held your head under water, what was the reason behind that?" Emily uncrossed her arms and through them in the air in defeat.

"She has a point." Hanna added. Aria also nodded.

"That's your go to for reasons why I shouldn't trust Paige, something that happened two years ago? What about the time Toby joined the A team and almost got us in a car wreck, or when Caleb sold you out to Jenna and left you for Ravenswood without a reason, or how about the fact that Ezra has seen us get tortured this whole time and has done nothing...for the sake of a true crime story." She put the last part in finger quotes.

"Compared to that, a little extra water in my lungs is nothing. Anyways, you all are forgetting everything else Paige has done for us. Remember that swimmer who kept on talking about you and Mr. Fitz?" Aria nodded.

"Who took care of that for you?" I made that girl swim laps until she couldn't speak let alone talk about stuff she knew nothing about.

"Paige did."

"Hanna did you know that Paige drove to Ravenswood to talk to Caleb? She cancelled our weekend plans and drove up there and let him have it for leaving you." Hanna started to say something but stopped. I told Emily not to tell her that. We were supposed to have a weekend to ourselves but I cancelled because I thought Caleb was being an ass. I didn't want to tell her where I was going but she finally forced it out of me.

"And Spencer as smart as you are how could you make the same mistake twice. The last time this happened you made me doubt her and she almost got killed. And then she turned around and saved your life. Do you think Wilden would have stopped choking you?" She didn't wait for a response.

"All of you seem to have selective memories when it comes to anybody but Paige." The whole time they were arguing, Ali was standing silently in the back. For a person who was always the queen B, she was oddly quiet. This didn't go unnoticed by Emily though.

"Ali you're quiet, what do you think about Paige? Or should I call her pigskin?" Emily had never used Ali's nickname for me. It stung worse coming from her mouth.

"That's not fair." Spencer defended her.

"Why not…because she was young and popular? What makes her crime so unforgivable?" No one responded. Allison had her head down, twiddling her thumbs together.

"This paper doesn't mean anything. Unless, Paige says to my face that she joined Team Mona, I won't believe it." I took that as my cue to come out. I didn't really care that I was only in a bra.

"I joined Team Mona." Emily jerked around in my direction. Before the satisfied look could become permanent on Spencer's face, I rephrased my statement.

"I joined Team Mona to protect all of you." Emily's face didn't seem to say that she totally trusted me. I ignored everyone else in the room and looked straight at her.

"That paper is mine. Everyone in the group was tormented by Ali so they all agreed to work together to get back at her. Mona recruited me after you broke up with me. Not for one second did I ever agree with what she was doing. But I knew nothing good could come from Mona keeping more secrets. Out of all the people in the group, I knew Mona would trust me the most."

"And why's that." Spencer interrupted.

"Because Ali has caused me more grief than the average person." I continued my defense. "They made their first plan to just humiliate her in front of the whole school. My plan was to put an extra nail in the latch so it wouldn't fall even when the timer went off but Mona was already suspicious of me so she kept me close. I knew the only way to foil the plan was to take the hit myself. I laughed it off so everyone thought it was a swimming prank."

"Why should we believe you? How do we know you just timed it wrong?"

"She told me not to move." It was the first time she had spoken the whole time.

"When we were on the stage, she told me not to move and to trust her. Spenc, I think she is telling the truth." Spencer still didn't want to let it go.

"Why, though. If this group is about getting back at Allison, why would you try to stop their plans?" All on eyes were on me. I honestly didn't have a great answer because it was illogical. Not many people try to save their persecutor. My intentions were actually selfish, though. I was protecting Ali to protect Emily. She doesn't need any more problems in her life.

"I did it for Emily. All I have ever wanted is for her to be happy. I don't care who that's with. You all and Allison make her smile like I have never seen. She doesn't need any more trouble in her life. Stopping Mona is my way of insuring that nothing bad ever happens again, even if that means something like this happening." I looked at each girl. They all had a different range of emotion. Spencer still looked suspicious but content. Aria and Hanna were doe eyed like love sick puppies. Allison looked guilty, which didn't surprise me. Emily just looked sad. The exact opposite of what I ever wanted to accomplish.

"Satisfied?" I placated.

"For now." Spencer responded. She turned and walked out the door, followed by Aria. Hanna didn't seem to want to leave the three of us alone together so she slowly made her way behind the others. For a few moments, we all stood there in silence, Emily with her head down, looking at the floor and Ali and I having a staring contest. Ali approached me slowly. She stood before me and raked her eyes of me. I suddenly became self-conscious of my exposed skin.

"I wish I was half the person you are. You should hate me…you SHOULD be throwing this stuff at me."

"Right now, at this moment, I am still angry with you. I have harbored so much loathing for you for the past three years that it tears me a part. But no matter how much I hate you, I love her more...But she chose you. So, don't wish to be half the person I am, actually try to be a better person. She deserves the best of everything, even if that's you." She didn't say anything in response but walked towards the door.

"Emily, are you coming?" Emily still had her eyes glued to the floor with her hands in her pockets. I picked her chin up, much like I had done earlier, and smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't make you happier." A tear fell down her cheek, dripping on to my hand. I turned to go back to my locker and I heard her footsteps walk away. I took a deep breath but it came out as a stutter. What had I done? I leaned my head against the locker, scrunching my eyes clothes. She stood up for me and then she walked away. That door that I thought might still be open, slowly felt like it was closing, waiting for someone to come behind and lock it completely.

I stripped my soaked jeans off and stood just in my underwear in bra. I searched through my bag for the body wash and grabbed my towel. I would process all of this later. If someone asked me to reiterate a single thing I just said in that conversation, I probably couldn't. Hopefully everyone can forget this ever even happened. I turned on the water and immediately started to melt away the stickiness from my body. Even the red stain on my clothes got fainter. I turned towards the wall and ran my head under the shower head. The cascade of water felt better than anything I think have experienced. The hair on the back of my neck raised up all of a sudden. I turned around, wiping the water out of my eyes. I hadn't turned the light on in the shower because I was the only one there, so all I could see was a feint outline.

"Did you mean it?" It was Emily. She took a step further into the room.

"I mean everything I say." I continued to scrub the soap through my hair, pretending her presence wasn't making my mind go insane.

"I don't want you to mean it. I want you to listen." This felt oddly familiar.

"What you did, hurt me Because I have learned not trusting people is always easier."

"Em I'm…" She held up her hand.

"Stop. You shouldn't have to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong. You always do everything right and I just push you away. When you said…" She could barely finish her sentence. "When you said you didn't make me happy, I wanted to hit you. No one, in my entire life has made me as happy as you have. I'm just so afraid, Paige." She walked towards me, slightly getting in the water, and placed a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

"What are you afraid of?"

"Us." It was a little more than a whisper. "Every time I get serious with somebody something happens. I can't risk that with you. What I feel for you sometimes is so overwhelming that I have to take a second just to let myself feel it. Even now, when you walk into a room I get this knot in my stomach. And the fact that you're mine, that when I see you running in the park or at the brew, I know no one else gets to hold your hand or kiss you, that makes me feel like I can't breathe. I am so happy with you it scares me. I'm being selfish because I don't think I would ever be able to lose you. To have you to myself, and then just watch you slip away. I would rather let you go, and see you move on, than be together knowing that I am the reason something bad will happen. But I don't want you to ever think you didn't make me happy." Tears were forming in both of our eyes.. She moved in closer, grabbing both sides of my arms. The water was now spraying both of us equally but neither of us cared. I was lost in her eyes until they closed. Automatically, mine did the same. Her hand traced up my arm, coming behind my neck and pulling me down closer. Our lips met and it felt like the first time. It was slow and tentative, neither of us going deeper because we would lose control. Her hand tightened against my neck and I held onto her waist. We parted, heads together, water rushing over us. In this moment, words weren't needed. I tightened my hold on her hips bringing them closer to where there was no space between us.

"Paige, I don't choose you second….I choose you forever." I leaned in kissed her chastely.

"Whatever happened to letting go?" She moved her mouth to my ear and whispered, "it's overrated." She pulled me down to her again. The timidness before was completely gone. My back hit the shower wall as she deepened the kiss. I moved my hand higher, getting lost in her now drenched hair. I flipped us so her back was at the wall and she pulled away to catch her breath.

"Yeah, I'm definitely never letting go." We both smiled and crashed into each other again.


End file.
